Tag Archives: ausiello

Before he joined Fox’s House as the yin to Hugh Laurie’s yang, Robert Sean Leonard was an accomplished Broadway thespian with a handful of Tony nominations (and a win — hello!) under his belt. Now, for the first time in nearly a decade, he’s back on the Great White Way in a revival of Garson Kanin’s 1946 comedy, Born Yesterday. So, while the show is in previews at the moment (ahead of its April 24 opening), the actor is juggling his stage duties with his taping of the final episodes of House‘s seventh season, meaning he commutes from NYC to L.A. on his one day off a week. What was so appealing to him about playing the journalist hired by a corrupt tycoon (The Defenders‘ Jim Belushi) to tutor his airheaded girlfriend (played by newcomer Nina Arianda) that he’d put himself through all this? A hint can be found in the headline. But, as you might expect, there’s more to the story — much more.

TVLine | Why did you wait seven years to return to Broadway?
This is my last season of House. I’m shooting my last episode now. Contractually this is it. There’s also no deal for House next year because Comcast bought NBC Universal and no one has a deal. If I do House next year it’ll be under a new umbrella. But legally and contractually, I’m free after this [season]. So my wife [Gabriella Salick] and I were wondering how the summer looked and what we wanted to do. And I’ve never had enough time to do a play [while doing House] because our hiatuses are only about a month of maybe six weeks long.

TVLine | You don’t really believe this is your last season, do you? I mean, House will eventually get renewed, and you’re a huge part of the show so they’re going to want you back.
[Pauses] I. Love. Money. Very, very much. But I also love my wife and my daughter. And when this play first came up I knew the only way it could work is if the show was over because the run [would overlap] with House‘s shooting schedule. And when my contract was not renewed this season… The long and short of it is, I don’t know. I would love to make more money. Money is nice. I also really miss [living in] New Jersey. I also really miss theater. I miss my friends. Gabby misses her family. I’m sick and tired of living in a place I don’t feel at home. There are very pressing, strong things pulling us in both directions at the moment, so I really don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s going to be a family decision, but it’s not one we have the discomfort of making right now because we’re not being offered options. I assume they’ll make another year of House. And I assume I will do it. But I can’t say for sure. My wife and I are really strange people. We never spend any money. I got my first car when I got out here — a Jetta — and I’ve been driving it since the pilot. We haven’t spent much of the money we’ve made.

TVLINE | You’re shooting the season finale of House now. Does it allude to a possible Wilson departure?
That’s not the plot of the episode, no. That’s not what the episode is about at all.

TVLINE | Even if you do return next season, you’ll still have to miss a couple of episodes because of the play, right?
I’d have to miss quite a few. We could do what we’re doing now, but I’m not sure I would do that – for any amount of money. Commuting 2700 miles is too much for me, and it’s too much for my voice… It’s just hard. I would either have to not be in the first few episodes or they’d have to delay the start date. Or I can be written lightly in them and shoot a couple of Mondays here and there. Anything’s possible.

TVLINE | Why did you decide to make Born Yesterday your Broadway comeback?
Because I love the play. And because [director] Doug Hughes hired Nina [Arianda]. If Doug had hired a famous actress I would have been hesitant. The point of Born Yesterday and the joy of Born Yesterday is Nina Arianda and discovering [her character]. And if you do the play right, then the joy of the play is redefining her every 18 minutes. You think you know who this girl is, and then every 18minutes or so you go, “Wait a minute. Where’d that come from.” That’s what makes the play work. Unfortunately, there aren’t many times in theater when you have someone good enough to pull it off, and we somehow got lucky with Nina.

TVLINE | Was it tough to get back into the eight-shows-a-week grind after doing a TV show for seven years?
No, not at all. I’m at House 17 hours a day. To go into a theater and do a play and be home by 11 – oh my god, are you kidding? It’s like nothing to me. And when you have two dogs and a two-year-old daughter, that’s a nice schedule. I drive to [the House set] in the dark and I come home in the dark. Sure, theater is tough because you’re not home at night a lot and you work on weekends – every job has its downside. But to do something that you love doing for two hours a night, that’s a pretty sweet gig.

TVLINE | Did you miss it?
Oh my God yes. I almost didn’t do it because of scheduling. I looked at the schedule and said, “This is insane. There’s no way.” I had days highlighted in yellow that I was going to be in L.A., and days highlighted in pink that I was going to be in New York. I looked at my wife and I said, “Forget it. There’s no way. I’ll lose my mind.” And she basically said, “If you don’t do this I’ll kill you. You need this. You need to do something you feel this [passionate] about.” I’ve been [on a high] since the first day of rehearsal. I love this company. I love Doug Hughes, I love the play. I love doing it. I can’t wait to get to work every night. I enjoy every minute of it.

TVLINE | I gather House has been accommodating with the scheduling?
Yes, amazingly so. They were extremely, extremely accommodating and sweet about it. They were great. They moved some things around, and they probably wrote me lighter in the final episodes.

TVLINE | Were you prepared to use the “Olivia Wilde got to take a year off to make a movie” argument if they resisted?
No. When I called I said, “Look, you guys — If this can work, great. If it can’t, there are no hard feelings.” Wilson is many things but he’s not Thirteen. I can’t just go away. Thirteen can disappear; Wilson can’t. The show just isn’t structured that way. He has to be there. It’s the way the show works. [He’s like] Carlton the Doorman on Rhoda.

TVLINE | What is Wilson’s arc in these final episodes? Is it mostly him continuing to prop up House?
He’s kind of propping up House. This season has mostly been about House and Cuddy and them trying to make [a relationship] work, which is fine with me. I’ve had a lot of time with my dogs and my daughter. I’m just around to pick up the pieces this season.

TVLINE | Were you disappointed Wilson couldn’t make things work with his ex Sam [Cynthia Watros]?
Yeah. I love Cynthia. Anne Dudek was also great. It’s always sad [when Wilson loses a love interest]. But it’s like when Fonzie gets a girlfriend. You’re like, “She’ll be gone soon.” How long can Pinky Tuscadero stick around?

TVLINE | She’ll be hit by a train or something.
[Laughs] Right. Wilson can’t have a long-term girlfriend. It just doesn’t work.

Ausiello: The POTW in Monday’s episode is none other than Cuddy’s mom (a.k.a. Candice Bergen). But that’s not the interesting part. This is the interesting part: Taub and Martha discover a skeleton (or two) in her closet when they canvas her home looking for medical clues, and one of ‘em is pretty juicy. As the case evolves, House puts Cuddy in the worst possible position, compelling her to go along with one of his most extreme (read: crazy-unethical) plans ever. Meanwhile, facing divorce and hurting for cash, Taub considers a job offer.

Question: What can you tell us about Episode 15 of House? I’ve seen a lot of stuff on Twitter from producers @GregYaitanes and @SaraHess, and even @MMRAW about some epic stuff: dance sequences, zombies…. What is going on?! —ReanaAusiello: You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. You might, however, believe Hugh Laurie. “It contains some ingredients that we have not seen before on House — or many other television shows — for quite some time,” he teases. “It’s quite a trip. It’s a viewing trip but it’s also a trip trip. I haven’t seen the result of it yet, but I have the utmost confidence [in our producers]. I go where they point me. I’m a willing passenger on this journey.”

Question: Should we be nervous that Fox hasn’t renewed House for next season? —Joel
Ausiello: As coincidence would have it, I asked showrunners David Shore and Katie Jacobs exactly that question when I chatted them up at Fox’s press tour party. “I’m not worried about it,” said Shore, whose deal with House producer NBC Universal is up for renewal at season’s end. Jacobs seconded that emotion. “I can’t imagine it not coming back,” she said, adding that she’s still thinking up ways to extend the franchise when the day does come that the show ends. “I once thought of a Three’s Company kind of spinoff with Wilson, Cuddy and House,” she admitted. “I don’t think that will happen. But I have thought about it.”

Question: Is there any possibility of Jennifer Morrison returning to House this season? —Isabela
Ausiello: The possibility definitely exists, but Shore says there’s “nothing in the works at this time.”

The doctor is out… or at least she will be by the end of the season. House creator David Shore confirms to TVLine exclusively that Amber Tamblyn’s stint on the show will conclude this spring.

Although her deal with the show was only for one year — she was brought in to full the temporary void left by Olivia Wilde’s Thirteen — the boss was hoping the Joan of Arcadia actress would extend her stay. “I wish she was sticking around, because she’s wonderful,” he says. “But she’s not going to be with us for [much longer].”

Tamblyn’s whip-smart MD-in-training Martha Masters will depart right around the time Wilde’s ailing Thirteen is slated to check back in (I hear the two will briefly cross paths). Shore says he’s “literally working” on the script for her final episode right now. “We’re going to give her a good sendoff. I’m not at liberty to discuss any details,” he insists, “but she’s getting a good sendoff.”

Question: A while back you hinted that there would be two breakups this season on House. Were Wilson/Sam one of them? And, if so, can you ID Couple No. 2? —JacobAusiello: Yes, Wilson/Sam were one of the two. I’m not going to spoil the other relationship that’s about to crater, but I will say this: I actually teased that there would be at least two breakups this season. The key words being at and least.

Question: When does Olivia Wilde return to House? —Joel
Ausiello: I believe her first episode back is 7.18.

Question: I’ve missed House two weeks in a row due to work, which is very depressing. Can I please have some scoop to cheer me up? —KimAusiello: You should check out this new product that just hit the market. It’s called a DVR. All the cool kids are using it. In any event, exec producer Katie Jacobs teases that Taub’s marriage will be tested in “a completely unexpected way” later this season. Might this be connected to a certain spoiler that ran in AA last week? Maybe. Maybe not.

Question: What happened with House spoilers? It’s like a desert nowadays! — MilenaAusiello: There’s at least one significant breakup coming down the pike. (That noise you hear is the sound of Twitter exploding.)

The highly anticipated double date-themed episode of House finally airs tonight, and I’ve got five words for you: House. Cuddy. Wilson. Sam. Go-Karting. If that sounds like a recipe for disaster, well, it’s probably because it is. Check out an exclusive preview—featuring clips from the episode and slightly spoilery interviews with Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Robert Sean Leonard, and Cynthia Watros.

Question: Can’t wait for Candice Bergen on House. What is her first encounter with House like? —JoelAusiello: He doesn’t know she’s Cuddy’s mom when they first meet, so I’m guessing it’s going to get awkward quick. BTW, two other notes about Candice: She arrives for Cuddy’s birthday, and her two episodes will be nonconsecutive.

Question: Should we read anything into Chase’s sexual overture to Thirteen on House last week? Was he really interested in her, or is it just a case of a horny single doctor? —Elizabeth
Ausiello: Let’s ask exec producer David Shore, shall we? David, should we read anything into Chase’s sexual overture to Thirteen on House last week? Was he really interested in her, or is it just a case of a horny single doctor? “If there is something more going on there, you won’t see it for a while,” he says, “because of Olivia [Wilde]‘s movie schedule [taking her off the canvas].”

Question: I loved Cuddy’s new assistant on the House season premiere. Any word on whether we will ever get to see him again? I’ll love you forever if you say yes! —JanineAusiello: Prepare to loathe me forever: There are no immediate plans for Chris Conner (Bones, The Assistants) to be back.

Question: Just out of curiosity, do you think House and Cuddy really have a fighting chance to make it as a couple? —Erin
Ausiello: If they can survive the arrival of Cuddy’s mother (as played by Candice Bergen), then I’m pretty sure they can survive anything. “House is going to meet her mom and she is a handful,” explains series creator David Shore. “It’s always nice to have House come up against people with whom, whether he likes to admit it or not, he has something in common. They’re not the same person, but there are parallels—and they’re not attractive parallels.” Bonus scoop: In next Monday’s episode, look for Cuddy to go to great, um, lengths to prove to Wilson that she is indeed dating House.